Houseful Of NicholesLiving Life on the Edge of Domesticity2016-12-09T22:01:37Zhttp://housefulofnicholes.com/feed/atomWordPresshttps://i0.wp.com/housefulofnicholes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/cropped-HON_Logo_Clr.jpg?fit=32%2C32Natasha Nicholeshttp://www.housefulofnicholes.comhttp://housefulofnicholes.com/?p=5510862016-12-02T05:58:31Z2016-12-01T22:33:53ZThis Dutch shortbread cookie is the perfect addition to any cookie exchange you may be participating in. Or you may even want to just whip up a batch to settle down with while watching holiday movies. I was introduce to the Jan Hagel last year, and I’m pleased to share with you during the start of #HousefulOfCookies 2nd annual blog hop! Hi there and welcome to the 2nd Annual #HousefulOfCookies blog hop! I’m excited to share the recipes and yummy creations of 26 other bloggers and myself. Just in time for those cookie swaps that I’m sure you’re getting ready for. Instead of trying to the old faithfuls, why not check out these posts and find something new to add to your repertoire. This year, I’m presenting the Jan Hagel, a traditional Dutch shortbread that I came to know of last year during a cookie exchange. My aunt Rebecca brought them for us to exchange, and I’ve been thinking about them ever since. They are full of butter, sugar, and magic. I promise. Many renditions of this cookie use almond slivers as the choice nut topping, but my aunt made them with pecans last year. Pecans also hold a special […]

]]>8Natasha Nicholeshttp://www.housefulofnicholes.comhttp://housefulofnicholes.com/?p=5510782016-12-07T02:11:07Z2016-12-01T02:02:08ZToday, I went to the girly doctor. I’ll reserve comments on that for later in this post. Discomfort aside, I was knocked flat on my backside when I stepped on the scale and saw the numbers 1, 8,7, and 9 show up in that order. Essentially 187.9 lbs of Natasha exists and more Natasha, in this case, is NOT good. However, that Natasha is going to have to wait just ONE MORE DAY as we enter into #25DaysOfCookies. I bet you thought this was going to be an inspirational post about making New Year’s Resolutions a full month before needing to, and whatnot. It’s not. But it is inspirational. I want to inspire you to bake some cookies this season, and to bake something other than chocolate chip (good) or gingerbread (jury’s still out) or eggnog cookies. They are great to have as a backup, but why not shake it up a bit? Yes, it’s time for the Houseful Of Cookies blog hop! Last year, I made cranberry white chocolate chip cookies, and tomorrow, I’m kicking off the blog hop with…you’ll just have to see. Seriously though, after I bake all of these recipes, I’ll do better. Maybe. Quite honestly, […]

]]>1Natasha Nicholeshttp://www.housefulofnicholes.comhttp://housefulofnicholes.com/?p=5510632016-11-30T07:23:26Z2016-11-29T13:05:50ZI’m thinking that these days, we need a bit more singing and feel good in our lives. I’ve heard good things about Moana, and we’re slated to go and see it this weekend because life. Here is the full clip of You’re Welcome performed by Maui (as voiced by Dwayne Johnson) and written by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I’ve been a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda since In The Heights and The Electric Company. His talent was very evident and the joy in which he rapped and sang was contagious. So much awesomeness in one person. Amazing. I also knew that Dwayne Johnson could sing because of his ukulele playing. Have you seen Moana yet? Without spoiling it for anyone, let me know your thoughts in the comments! Like MOANA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/disneymoana Follow MOANA on Twitter: https://twitter.com/disneymoana Follow Disney Animation on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/disneyanimation/ Visit Disney Animation on Tumblr: http://disneyanimation.tumblr.com/ Visit the official MOANA website here: http://movies.disney.com/moana MOANA is now playing in theatres everywhere!

]]>0Natasha Nicholeshttp://www.housefulofnicholes.comhttp://housefulofnicholes.com/?p=5511012016-12-05T23:30:27Z2016-11-28T18:38:50ZI’d like to thank the Illinois Treasure’s Office for sponsoring the conversation on money, and recovering lost funds on the blog today. Have you ever been doing laundry or cleaning out pockets or purses and found a folded up twenty-dollar bill, or better yet, a fifty? If not, you keep track of money way better than I do, and maybe what I’m about to tell you won’t excite you as much as it should. With just a simple click of your mouse, and entry of your name and zip code, you could very well be on your way to claiming money that you have long forgotten about. Don’t believe me? Listen up! If you live in Illinois, or have ever lived in Illinois, then you should REALLY head over to the Illinois Treasurer’s site to start the process of claiming your money! I signed on last month, and was pleasantly surprised to pick up a bit of extra cash for the holiday. This year, I decided to be a bit selfish, and apply what I’ve had sitting around to purchasing a new camera body for myself. I still have a bit of a way to go, but what I discovered […]

]]>2Natasha Nicholeshttp://www.housefulofnicholes.comhttp://housefulofnicholes.com/?p=5510662016-11-30T07:45:13Z2016-11-19T13:00:58ZAre you a Star Wars fan? I have to admit that I’m not fully vested, but even I can’t deny the cultural classic that the original movies are. In preparation of the release of the newest installment last year, the houseful and I hunkered down to watch all three originals, and I found that I was holding my breath in certain spots, much to my amazement. While I can’t say that I’m a full convert, I do enjoy good cinematography and a epic good verses evil battle to the finish. I can’t even lie, The Force Awakens was very exciting to me, with a female Jedi, and her not needing to be saved from anything. It was refreshing to see so much diversity in a film as well, and we all know that Star Wars was ahead of its time with that aspect anyway. Rogue One is set to blast into theaters December 16th and I’m sure that it will make just as much of an impact as episode 7 did. Are you planning on seeing it? Are you a full Star Trek fan? Or are you an appreciator of great cinema? Either way, I think that the theaters will […]